Where do your candidates
stand on the issues?

Greg Flippin, school board candidate

Q: This year, the Columbia Public School District did not operate the salary schedule, which pays teachers in accordance with their years in the district and their education. Do you consider operating the salary schedule a top priority?
A: "Yes, it definitely needs to happen. You can’t have successful schools without competitive wages and benefits."

Q: The district has a $3.2 million deficit. How would you address the budget challenges?
A: "The only way to make things better is to get a tax levy passed. One way to do this is to have public forums by supporting open dialogue."

Q: A plan to ask voters for two more $60 million bond issues to fund the new high school and other facilities appears to be defunct. The current board has been asked to consider putting a single $120 million bond issue before voters in 2010. Do you favor this?
A: Flippin favors a single $120 million bond issue. "I'd rather we just get the whole thing done at once."

Q: How would you improve communication with the board?
A: Flippin wants to have more public forums for anything asked of the public. He thinks the public was uninformed on why the district needed the levy last year and wants to improve public understanding of district needs.

 

"Anytime parents are involved with their kid, it’s a great thing. It makes the schools better; it makes the kids better."

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